For one day, the Florida Panthers’ Aaron Ekblad learned what it was like to be on the other side of the coach-player relationship.
Ekblad, the No. 1 overall pick by the Florida Panthers in 2014 and a two-time All-Star defenseman, served as a guest instructor for the Panthers’ Learn to Play program, which introduces hockey to young kids. For an hour on Sunday morning at Palm Beach Skate Zone in Lake Worth, Ekblad mentored about 50 kids, ages 5 to 9. After a half hour of basic skating fundamentals, the kids broke off into groups and did a circuit of drills with Ekblad making his rounds throughout the session.